Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using VOC·US ("the platform", "we", "us"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform. These terms apply to all visitors, registered users, and Pro subscribers.

2. Description of Service

VOC·US is an independent, nonpartisan Congress accountability platform. We provide:

• Congressional voting records and member profiles sourced from Congress.gov and FEC
• Citizen approval ratings — anonymous aggregated scores submitted by registered users
• Values alignment quiz — a tool for civic reflection based on public policy positions
• Citizen polls on policy issues

Editorial neutrality: VOC·US takes no editorial position on congressional voting records. We present publicly available data and let citizens form their own judgments.

3. User Accounts

• You must provide accurate information when creating an account
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account
• One account per person — creating multiple accounts to manipulate approval ratings is prohibited
• You must be 13 years or older to use the platform

4. Civic Points & Poll Eligibility

Poll eligibility is determined by Civic Points earned through legitimate platform activity (rating representatives, completing the quiz). Attempts to game the points system, use bots, or create fraudulent activity to gain eligibility will result in account suspension.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the platform to harass, threaten, or harm any individual or group
• Submit false or misleading data to manipulate approval ratings
• Use automated tools to scrape data or interact with the platform
• Attempt to access other users' data or circumvent security measures
• Use the platform for commercial political advertising or campaign purposes

6. Data Accuracy Disclaimer

Voting records, financial data, and member information are sourced from official government APIs (Congress.gov, FEC). While we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee that all data is current or complete. Approval ratings and quiz alignment scores reflect citizen opinions and statistical estimates — not official endorsements or authoritative assessments.

7. Pro Subscriptions

Pro subscriptions are billed monthly or annually through Stripe. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled before the renewal date. Refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact support@voiceofcitizens.us for billing issues.

8. Intellectual Property

The VOC·US platform, brand, and original content (excluding public government data) are owned by VoiceOfCitizens.us. Congressional data is public domain. User-submitted ratings and votes are anonymized and become part of the platform's aggregate dataset.

9. Limitation of Liability

VOC·US is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. We are not liable for decisions made based on platform data. Platform availability is not guaranteed and we reserve the right to modify or discontinue features at any time.

10. Changes to Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. We will notify registered users of material changes.

11. Contact

Questions about these terms: legal@voiceofcitizens.us